Rise in ICE DNA Collection, SpaceX Rocket Collides with the Moon, and Growing Resistance to AI

Leah Feiger: The kicker here is the aspect of “preventing future crime.” It’s framed as a primary goal of establishing a national DNA database to resolve criminal cases, which is just a theory. Sure, solving crimes sounds great, but we’re talking about 5-year-olds here—so many of their rights have already been stripped away by this administration, DOJ, and DHS. This addition feels like a significant visual in the ongoing war on immigrants in our country right now.

Zoë Schiffer: Alright, let’s lift ourselves from this sea of despair.

Brian Barrett: Some might argue that AI slop isn’t quite the depths, but we’re still firmly in despair territory.

Leah Feiger: I actually thrive in the depths of despair; it’s my favorite place to be.

Zoë Schiffer: It’s amusing to me, but I have a lot of evolving thoughts on this that I’m eager to share.

Leah Feiger: Great, great, great!

Zoë Schiffer: Last week, Google introduced a new AI feature on Google Earth, which allows users to zoom into real-world coordinates and type prompts similar to ChatGPT or Gemini to overlay AI-generated scenes on actual Google satellite images.

Brian Barrett: What could possibly go wrong?

Zoë Schiffer: It’s hard to believe that no one raised a flag during development, or if they did, it went unheard. But here we are with Google implementing this. Unsurprisingly, within 24 hours, people generated fake nuclear plants in Iran, a bombed hospital in Gaza, and fires at an Iranian oil terminal. There was significant backlash regarding misinformation and disinformation, prompting Google to quickly disable the feature. It highlights a real divide between Silicon Valley’s perspective on AI and the general public’s feelings about it. These tools are largely unpopular, even as they’re gaining traction. Many users are turning to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude as substitutes for Google, while those in Silicon Valley see them as replacements for personal assistants or entry-level staff. Hence, for them, there’s genuine wonder in the tools’ capabilities, whereas most users are questioning why this is being forced upon them. They’re encountering AI features in applications that used to function well without them, and now the AI elements seem subpar.

Brian Barrett: It really boils down to AI slop specifically, right? Yes, there are valid use cases for AI agents. Zoë, you’ve integrated them into your life, and it’s working well for you. But what’s fascinating is (A) how fast they rolled it back, and (B) that this is just part of a pattern where companies embracing AI are recognizing through product features that maybe the public isn’t thrilled about it. Recently, LinkedIn added a button to posts allowing people to express their displeasure by labeling content as AI slop. LinkedIn had built much of its platform in the last year around showcasing all the AI slop you can create.